When Mississippi police refuse to file charges on animal abuser, private citizens do it themselves

MISSISSIPPI -- The Copiah County man whose property was littered with dead and neglected horses has been arrested.

Copiah County Sheriff Harold Jones said Jerry Earls was arrested Thursday and charged with four misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

"There were four horses that needed medical attention, and he had not provided that," Jones said.

Those animals are receiving medical care from a large-animal veterinarian, Jones said. The horses who were alive but had been quarantined are also receiving medical care that will include Coggins tests, done to detect the presence of a virus transmitted by flying insects that can spread through a herd if it goes untreated.

The dead horses have been buried.

"I made sure of that," Jones said.

Some among the group of horses found in Crystal Springs — some dead, some malnourished — were possibly headed for slaughter, according to people who know the owners.

Scott and Alisha Armstrong were looking at some land in Copiah County on Saturday when they came across at least 100 horses that they said were injured, sick or dead.

The couple brought misdemeanor animal cruelty charges against horse owners Jerry Earls and Victor Smith through Copiah County Justice Court on Wednesday.

Local law enforcement officials have said the initial review by — a team of veterinarians and the state Board of Animal Health originally determined they were just old, and no grounds for charges were present.

The condition of the ones that were moved to Utica was less clear, but all the horses were under quarantine until immunization records could be found.

 

 

Earls has remained tight-lipped through the situation, but his ex-wife said he's lived most of his life as a horse and cattle man. Little is known about Victor Smith at this point.

Earls is from a family that has always had horses, dogs and cattle, friends and family said. They portray him as a man who loves his animals but also functions within the industry as a businessman.

"Jerry's always had horses. They're his partners. He has been active in the horse world all of his life from barrel racing to team roping and team penning and showing," Tori Earls said. "He's been a cowboy his entire life."

That includes trading horses for slaughter. Tori Earls, who was married to him for several years but is not anymore, said she was aware that he did that, as are many livestock people in Copiah and the surrounding counties.

 

Tori Earls, who is still cordial with her ex but is not usually involved in his dealings, asked Jerry Earls if she could try to get the horses adopted when she saw the publicity that began on Facebook.

She said she asked him why the dead horses on the farm were not buried.

"He had contacted someone who was supposed to come and didn't."

That happened with at least three different people who were to bring backhoes to the property and bury the corpses, Tori Earls said Jerry Earls told her.

"When he finally got someone out there, the storm had already started," she said.

(Jackson Clarion Ledger - Dec 5, 2014)

Earlier:

• Owner of neglected Copiah horses charged with livestock larceny in 2012